Queen Elizabeth is rumored to be taking interest in Kate Middleton and preparing her to be the next queen of the United Kingdom. But royal fans are wondering if Her Majesty could pass on the crown to Prince William’s wife anytime she pleases.

On the online forum site Quora, some royal fans are wondering if the monarch is allowed to change the line of succession in favor of Prince William and Middleton. After all, there are rumors that Her Majesty favors the Duke of Cambridge as her successor and not Prince Charles.

But some royal fans said that it is unlikely that the Queen would change the line of succession because she doesn’t have the right to choose whoever will succeed her. Since the Duchess of Cambridge is married to Prince William, she will become queen or queen consort one day.

However, Middleton’s role won’t be the same as the role of Her Majesty. Prince William will have the same role with his grandmother in the future, and his wife will simply be his support system. If Middleton is the one who comes from the royal family and not Prince William then should be the Queen’s successor.

But this is still unlikely to happen because the Duchess of Cambridge is already in her late 30s. The Succession to the Crown Act of 2013 states that female members of the royal family will be ranked ahead of their male siblings. As such, Princess Charlotte is ranked ahead of Prince Louis.

Meanwhile, rumors about the Queen not wanting Prince Charles to succeed her have been ripe for the past couple of months. But this is also unlikely because the Queen asked Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles to accompany her to the State Opening of Parliament earlier this month.

Royal experts claimed that the gesture shows that the Queen is grooming Prince Charles for his future role, and she’s also doing the same thing for Camilla.

Queen Elizabeth II and Kate Middleton
Kate Middleton is going “forefront” as Queen Elizabeth II steps back “a little bit more.” Pictured: Queen Elizabeth II and Middleton visit King's College to officially open Bush House, the latest education and learning facilities on the Strand Campus on March 19, 2019 in London.  Getty Images/Paul Grover